Cassidy Todd’s boxing career has been defined by its stop-start nature.
Despite having turned professional four years ago, the Glaswegian has racked up only four pro fights. Postponements, cancellations and withdrawals have ensured that Todd’s competitive appearances have been considerably more sparse than she’d have liked but finally, she’s optimistic she’s going to be able to start building momentum within the sport which will, in the not too distant future, lead to titles.
This evening, Todd will step into the ring for the fifth time as a professional fighter when she faces Welshwoman Ashleigh Johnson on the undercard of the Commonwealth Super Flyweight title fight between Matty McHale and Sean Bruce at East Kilbride’s Playsport Arena. And she admits that this fight, and the prospect of moving onto bigger and better things in the near future, is a welcome reward for the hundreds, if not thousands of hours she’s put in at the gym over recent months and years.
“In the past couple of years, when I was training so hard in the gym and then having to face these setbacks with fights not happening, it was really demoralising,” the 27-year-old says.
“But I love training so that helped me keep plugging away, even when there were tough times.
“I've always been obsessed with training but it was when I turned pro that I became really locked-in at the gym. I don't do anything other than train, so I’m in really good shape despite the fact I've only had a few fights.”
“I’m buzzing - this is the most excited I've ever been ahead of a fight,” she says of tonight’s bout.
“The longer fights suit me, and allow me to get into my groove. I'm confident that I'll get the win and can then move on to a title fight, which will put me right in the mix and things will start to happen for me. It feels such a relief that my hard work is now paying off.”
To date, Scotland’s most successful female boxer is two-belt world super welterweight champion, Hannah Rankin. But with Rankin having moved into bare knuckle fighting in recent months, there’s an opening for another female fighter to become the new standard-bearer for women’s boxing in this country. There’s every chance that woman will be Todd, and the Glaswegian is confident she has the ability to emulate the success of Rankin and continue to grow the sport in this country.
She certainly knows how important it is for female fighters to be recognised and respected. Todd first walked into a boxing gym as a 14-year-old when female fighters were an endangered species but in the years since, she’s seen a significant shift in the attitudes of most towards female fighters.
There is, she acknowledges, much work still to do to close the gap between women’s boxing and men’s but she’s hopeful of continuing the progress, and is optimistic she can play a significant role in continuing the growth of women’s boxing in this country.
“I would like to hope I could be the next big Scottish female fighter. I'm not all that comfortable being in the spotlight but my fighting style is really exciting and so to get recognition would be great,” she says.
“Female fighters do get more respect now than in the past, but it's still harder for female fighters to catch people's attention. But actually, there's so many people within boxing who think the female fighters produce more exciting fights. All I can do is hope that my hard work pays off and if I keep winning then people will take notice.
“There's never been a female British champion from Scotland so I'd love to get that belt and then move on to world titles after that.”
